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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23639029">Kill Your Heroes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowscraw/pseuds/crowscraw'>crowscraw</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Adventure Zone (Podcast), The Adventure Zone: Balance - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angus McDonald Silver Dragon theory, Angus is the main character, Anxiety Disorder, F/F, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Fluff, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Post-Episode: e067-069 Story and Song Parts 1-3, sorry folks, this is McDonald's world and we're all just living in it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:20:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,501</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23639029</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowscraw/pseuds/crowscraw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of the day of Story and Song, life is good for Angus McDonald. He works a well-payed job teaching at Taako's school (of witchcraft and misery), and though the students are sometimes older and rougher, he's been pushing through.</p><p>Though, as much as he wouldn't like to admit it, Angus is stressed beyond belief. His anxiety has gotten worse, and he keeps having terrible nightmares that don't leave him with much sleep. He's tried to keep it to himself, and some days aren't are thankfully not stressful as others. For a twelve year old, it's a lot to worry about.</p><p>Oh, and also the fact that he's a Silver Dragon might have something to do with it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Carey Fangbattle/Killian, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>106</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Teaching Woes [1]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Angus gets a nightmare, then has to teach while very stressed and very tired.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Angus McDonald woke up in a sweat, his hand clutching the helm of his pajamas as his breath came out in slow panicked bursts. He was in his room, alone, but perfectly safe. He took deep breaths, trying to think clearly, but to no avail.</p><p>In the few short moments of his awakening, he was reliving the nightmare. He saw whisps of gold coins, of books with blurred titles, and various other items flashing before his eyes. His grandpa’s silverware glinting in the light. A thievish pair of hands outstretched over the mouth of the room entrance... </p><p>‘Come on, Angus’, He thought, trying to ground himself. ‘It was just a nightmare. A bad dream. Think logically.’</p><p>The last remaining moments of his nightmare grasped at him, but as he calmed himself down, they edged away from his memory. His breathing slowed, leaving him in a darkened room. He didn’t feel the need to turn the lights on, his darkvision allowed him to see just fine. What time even was it? He stumbled for his glasses on the bedside table, and once he put them on, he took a gander outside.</p><p>Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The sky was still dark. Angus estimated that it had to be the middle of the night. Instantly the thought of going back to sleep was burned from his mind. His heart was racing too much, and it didn’t help that he felt like he was on the verge of a panic attack.  Besides, he had work tomorrow… or well, today. Maybe he could get an early start.</p><p>He rubbed his eyes and attempted to yawn, but the edges of his mouth seemed glued together. Puzzled, he reached down and rubbed his mouth, only to be met with cold frost. His eyes widened, and he swept his eyes around his room. A great majority of his possessions had been covered with ice.</p><p>His heart jolted, and he started to panic again. Rushing over to the ice, he examined it while cramming his fist into his mouth and trying not to make too much noise. How could this happen? Well, he knew exactly how it happened. Perhaps the dream has been more stressful than he remembered, and in his sleep, he exhaled a blast of ice all over his room.</p><p>He prayed to any gods out there that the sound went unheard. He couldn’t let anyone find out his secret now, not when everything was going so good and the apocalypse was over. Angus loved being a ‘flesh boy’ more than anything, and he loved his family even more. He looked up to all of them, even Merle. That would all be ruined if they knew his secret.</p><p>Who would ever even consider hanging out with him if they found it he was not the World’s Greatest Boy detective, but something adventurers such as themselves prided upon vanquishing? </p><p>What would they even think if they found out that Angus McDonald was actually a Silver Dragon?</p><p>Angus shook his head defiantly. They weren’t going to find out. Not when he’s kept up his disguise for so long. After all, the idea in itself seemed preposterous. Angus? The cute yet clever twelve-almost-thirteen year old, a Silver Dragon? The one who was bent on stopping evil and solving mysteries? No way. The boy who tailed people he thought were stronger than him like a lost dog? Not a chance.</p><p>He had been very careful in his early days. Inspired by his many kid-detective novels (such as his Caleb Cleveland: Kid Cop books) he was able to squirrel away when just a wyrmling, he created a persona to live among the common folk of the world, where he thought his brilliant talents could be put to good use. Many other Silver Dragons lived among common folk, well, the ones that were left, and he decided he would give it a shot, too.</p><p>It was easy enough at first. Get hired, catch the bad guy, get some gold or valuable items to add to his hoard. Then, of course, he was hired for the Rockport Limited mystery, and things got simultaneously good and bad. </p><p>It was good because he met his heros, Magnus, Taako, and Merle, and was able to join the Bureau of Balance. It was bad because it became increasingly difficult to hide the dragon side of him.</p><p>It wasn’t ‘lying’, per se, it was just nobody ever asked him! A tray of prized silverware is a perfectly normal thing to give to your dying grandfather (it was part of his grandfather’s hoard, and it was perfectly reasonable that he wanted it when he was dying!!), and it wasn’t odd that a ten-year-old could cast spells that would seem too difficult or not in his class (hey, it wasn’t easy to remember all of them!), and so what if he resisted a powerful Zone of Truth here and there? (It wasn’t his fault his wisdom levels were off the charts!)</p><p>He let out a frustrated groan. It wasn’t like it was a big deal, anyways! He was still Angus McDonald, no matter what form he took. He didn’t know why he was letting this problem eat away at him, and he found himself envying the days where he forgot he was a dragon at all. But whatever his feelings, there was still work to be done.</p><p>For the next hour or so, Angus made quick work of Banishing the ice and heating up the room using two small flames protruding from his palms. He could’ve used his wand, which hung around his neck in a lanyard, yet he decided against it. It would’ve been quicker, but compared to his other spells, he sucked at fire magic. Being a Silver Dragon, it made sense. Being a human flesh boy, however, it did not. </p><p>He really should get trained by someone who’s good at fire magic. Taako was okay, but it wasn’t really his brand of magic. He wanted to learn from a professional. Not like he knew any, though…</p><p>Sighing, he dispelled the flames from his palms and worked on getting his notes ready for the afternoon class he was teaching today.</p><p>//</p><p>Taako’s school was very competitive. Reasonably so, for one of the biggest rules was that you had to earn your way in- and keep it.  At the end of every quarter, there was a dueling assesment, and if you failed, you got kicked out. </p><p>This meant besides learing about spells and about other magical items, there was constant fighting in order to sharpen your own skills and get a sense of your other students. Techincally students weren’t allowed to fight anywhere but the courtyard, but that rule wasn’t really enforced. Kids jumped others from behind archways, shot spells at each other during class, and one kid even went as far as to transfigure a kid into a pig during lunch.</p><p>Some people enjoyed it. Some people did it just to get by. Some people hated it.</p><p>On bad days, Angus absolutely despised it.</p><p>Normally he could turn a blind eye to it, as long as it wasn’t in his line of sight or if he was busy. He was stricter than most teachers were, and he allowed absolutely no combat in his classroom without his supervision. It was hard to get students to listen to him, though, as they were usually way older than he was. And besides, who would listen to a twelve year old? A clumsy, nervous, pushover twelve year old?</p><p>But the more keen students in his class noticed something was off about Professor McDonald today, and decided not to mess about.</p><p>There were dark bags under his eyes and his face rested in a grimace instead of the usual bright and cheery smile. His hair seemed a bit unkept, and, Pan forbid, his shirt was untucked. He looked nervous, and he fiddled with his hands a lot. When he continued with the set of intructions for the day, there was no cheery tone in his voice; just a grouchy droned tone.</p><p>He had rented the cafeteria out for today’s lesson, and prematurely pushed the enlongated tables together so that they formed one wide line down the middle. He was standing in the middle of the tables, looking down at the students, his hands behind his back.</p><p>“Today, class, we are going to have a practice assessment to test our quick-thinking skills. In combat, it’s easy to be impulsive, and rely on your actions, not your thoughts. Actions, after all, are what determines, a battle, yes?” He said, eyes half lided, as he surveyed his students. “No. An enemy that can think quick will always overpower an enemy that can hit hard. You must always be prepared to size your enemy up, and make logical choices. Which brings us to today’s assessment.”</p><p>“I will chose two groups of three at a time. I have a stopwatch that will countdown from ten seconds, and after that time is up one team will announce which person of the opposite team they will fight. During the duration of the fight, you may switch who you’re fighting at any time. Your goal is protect your flag at the end of the table. Any questions?” Angus asked, and uncharacteristicly, continued without missing a beat. “Good. Keep in mind that Headmaster Ren is watching closely.”</p><p>The student’s heads turned to see Headmaster Ren, who was sitting near the end of the cafeteria with a clipboard in hand. She waved. Nobody waved back.</p><p>“Smith, Henrick, Rockseeker, you’re on blue team, get to your flag,” Angus barked. The three students went and stood on the left edge of the tables. “Parsley, Ashslayer, Roughore, red team. Get to your flag.”</p><p>Even some of the more dull students were paying attention now. They’ve never heard Professor McDonald be so harsh with his orders. Normally he was polite and said a lot of ‘please’, and ‘thank you’s, but apparently not today. Even Headmaster Ren was watching with interest. </p><p>“On my mark, announce your opponent,” He said, holding up his stopwatch. There was just enough time to get a few whispers in before he shouted, “Mark! Blue team, your foes?”</p><p>“Parsley!”</p><p>“Parsley.”</p><p>“Parsley!”</p><p>The students turned to Professor McDonald. Nele Parsley was a newer human student, just eleven years old, and was short even for her age. She was easily the weakest link. It seemed like an unfair fight, and Professor McDonald had always enforced fairness before.</p><p>But to everyone’s surprise, Angus simply nodded, then turned to the Red team. “Remember, Red team, that your actions are free for this assesment. Chose wisely what you want to do, whether it be to defend your flag, defend your friend, or go straight offensive.” Then, holding his wand like it was a flute, he blew into it, sending a fierce whistle noise into the air. “Fight!”</p><p>Neither parties moved, as if they couldn’t believe what was happening.</p><p>“Did I stutter?” Angus repeated, a little bit louder. “Fight!”</p><p>The three wizards from Blue team advanced forward, wands drawn. Parsley held her wand out infront of her, shaking badly. “Don’t...Don’t you come near me!” She said, taking a few steps backward.</p><p>“What are you going to do about it?” A dwarven girl, last name Rockseeker, snarled. “Cry?” The other two teammates chuckled behind her. “Come on, we won’t go too hard on you, just enough to kick your-”</p><p>And then everything erupted at once.</p><p>Parsley shot a spell square into Rockseeker’s chest, and as a second action, shoved her with another one of her team members. That sent the dwarf stumbling backwards. Everyone looked on in shock for a few seconds, before Henrick roared and charged her, sending magic mistiles flying. Parsley dodge one, but got hit with the other two and went flying. Rockseeker tried to get over to them, but ran into Smith, and hissed, “Out of my way!” Roughore, another dwarf, helped Parsley up as another one of Blue team’s members casted a spell. They both rolled back, supporting each other, but looked nervous when they realized that several feet behind them rested their flag. </p><p>Roughore held out his wand and casted Command at Smith, a ruggish half-orc, and said his one word command, “Betray!” </p><p>Smith rubbed his head as if he’d been hit with a rock, then turned to his compainions. He seemed to look confused but suddenly, and violently, tackled Henrick. Several students ran out of the way as both of them hit the floor, abandoning all attempts at using their wands. </p><p>Rockseeker gave a shout of protest, then turned her fury to the two smaller people in front of her. “You thought that was clever, eh? You’ll see how clever you think you are when your blood is under my boot-”</p><p>“I’ve got it! I’ve got the flag!”</p><p>With a gasp, everyone turned to the left end of the table. A young dragonborn, Ashslayer,  was holding the blue flag in her talons, waving it happily. The crowd errupted in cheers. Ashslayer ran to the other end of the table and embraced her team, all who were cheering with relief. </p><p>When the cheering died down, Angus walked up to the table and climbed upon it. Each team were at their respective ends now, and awaiting their results. </p><p>“Red team, you pass!” Professor McDonald said, and a hint of proudness crept into his voice. Perhaps after watching the fight he temporarily forgot what was making him so grumpy. “Roughore, that was a very creative use of the Command spell for this activity!”</p><p>Roughore, who was supporting Parsley at the shoulder, grinned widely.</p><p>“Now, Blue team,” He turned to them, hands on his sides. “Do you know where you went wrong?”</p><p>“We probably didn’t do that quick thinking stuff,” Henrick grunted, rubbing a swollen cheek.  </p><p>“Well, that’s the obvious answer,” Professor McDonald said politely before turning to the crowd of students. “But the real answer is that, in deciding to all go after the weakest link, they had exposed the Red team to many other advantages. Perhaps if they all focused on an indvidual foe, they would’ve noticed Ashslayer sneak past them. Did you also notice how they, even without the Command spell, ran into each other? Using three capable people on a single small target is overkill, and you’ll just end up getting in each others way.” He seemed to relax more as he explained. “This is the importance of quick thinking. You need to choose your foe and choose them wisely. Never underestimate a foe,” For one last praise, he turned to the Red team. “Parsley, your spellcasting is getting better! Nice work!”</p><p>As his back was turned, he felt something hot hit him in his back, barreling him forward. His students gasped, as did Headmaster Ren, who had dropped her quill to the floor. </p><p>Angus, with some effort, stood and faced his attacker. He wasn’t badly hurt, but he did have the wind knocked out of him, and he wheezed as he took in some much-needed air. He felt a hot fluid gush from his nose and onto the table, and a similar but lighter fluid fall from his eyes, and he did nothing to stop it.</p><p>Rockseeker stood at the other end, arm outstretched, the tip of her wand burning from the casted spell. She looked at everyone’s shocked faces and rolled her eyes. “Come on, people!” She growled angrly at the uncertain crowd. “Are we really going to let this pipsqueak boss us around? What is he? Twelve? And he’s a teacher?” With these words, some people started to nod. “If this school expects us to fight to rise to the top, who says that this crybaby is above us?! ” She turned back to Angus, who was adjusting his glasses. “I declare a rematch! And I pick my foe to be Professor McDonald!”</p><p>Another chorus of gasps sounded throughout the cafeteria. Headmaster Ren rushed forward, her brow furrowed. “Young lady, what makes you think you can speak to a teacher like that? Get down from there-”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Angus was holding out his hand to stop her, while with the other, he tried to slow the blood that spilled down his front. “No,” He repeated. It was hard to sound threatening with that squeaky voice of his, and even harder now that tears were flowing down his round cheeks. “You’re right, Ms.Rockseeker. If I expect you to battle each other to earn respect, it would only be fair for me to do so as well.”</p><p>“Angus-”</p><p>“Headmaster Ren, ma’am, please!” He snapped, harsher than he meant to. It had the same effect, though, and she backed away a few paces from the table. “I am a man of my word. I will fight you, Rockseeker, and when I win you will leave this school.” He tried hard to keep his voice from trembling. </p><p>A few ‘Ooooo’s came from the students below. Rockseeker didn’t seem impressed. “And when I win, I will teach this lame class, and you will leave! In fact,” She dropped the hand holding her wand to her side. “You can get the first hit, Professor. I don’t even think it would matter.”</p><p>Angus grit his teeth. All the taunts and stress that weighed him down for so long came crawling back at him, like a winter’s frost upon fresh plantlife. First, a horrible nightmare resulting in ice covering his room, now this? He had tried to distract himself from the stress he had been feeling lately, but nothing seemed to help. Nothing! All he found himself wanting in this moment  was to hang out with his mentor/father figure Taako, and Magnus and Merle, like old times. They’d all been so busy lately, and he missed them so much! </p><p>Part of him wished that he’d just transform into his dragon form right there and then, and maybe THEN his students would listen to him, maybe THEN they’d respect him…</p><p>But he didn’t. He was ANGUS MCDONALD, damn it! Boy genius, detective, and everything in between! He wiped his eyes on his sleeve with a sniff, and as he did this, a cold chilling feeling of nothingness swept over him. Wordlessly, he stepped forward and brandished his wand. </p><p>Nothing happened at first. Then, with a yelp, Rockseeker fell backwards, and flew across the long stretch of tables, being dragged by a strong force and only continuing to gain speed. At the last second, before she was about to smash into the wall, Angus flicked his wrist in an almost bored manner, and the Mage Hand that had held her ankle sent her flying through the air. Several people screamed as she shot through the huge glass window that opened to the courtyard. She hovered for a moment, then fell out of sight. </p><p>“You’re expelled,” Angus said smugly. He was quite proud of that little quip, as Taako was always saying cool stuff when he fought bad guys-</p><p>Then he remembered that he was teaching, and they were technically in the middle of a practice assessment with his students. He turned around, and everyone met him with their jaws agape, including Headmaster Ren. He felt nervous as he remembered that he forgot to consider how much power, and what kind of spells, a twelve year old wizard had.</p><p>Maybe they didn’t notice. He cleared his throat. “Any questions?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Justin said that Taako's school was just like a free-for-all Hogwarts, so I tried to go with that. </p><p>If you liked this chapter, perhaps leave a comment! They keep me motivated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Visit from Magic Dads [2]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Taako and Kravitz visit the classroom to deliver a strange letter.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taako didn’t always have time to visit his school on the regular, but when he did, he always made sure he caught up with Angus. He swore it was for selfish reasons only, not because he CARED for the kid or anything. He just wanted to see how he was doing, and laugh mercilessly at his horrid attempts at teaching kids at a school where one rule is to literally disobey. </p><p>So imagine his surprise when he walked into a classroom marked ‘Professor McDonald’, accompanied by his boyfriend, and saw what he least expected. </p><p>The students were watching Angus intently, hanging onto every word that came out of his mouth. Every time he told a lame joke, they laughed. When he demonstrated how certain magical items could affect your spellcasting, he earned some ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’. When he gave them an order, they listened. </p><p>When he snapped at a kid for using her Stone of Farspeech in class, she sat up rigid, like she had been hit by a spell, and reluctantly put it away. When he politely asked the students to pass them their parchment paper, they did so nicely, and they didn’t even attempt to throw it at him. There were no spitballs, no magical paper airplanes, not even a rude remark or two. There had to be some dark sorcery involved.</p><p>“Oswell, Clemens, I’d like to see your best Zone of Truths at the beginning of class tomorrow!” He called as the students filed out of the room. “Copperfield, don’t you even think about attacking Gremolds after class, yes, I do have ears...oh! Hello sirs!”</p><p>Angus didn’t even notice them until they walked up to his desk, which was comically too large for him. There were several stacks of paper here and there, and a large box where the demonstrated magical items were resting at the side, but his desk contained mostly books.</p><p>“Hail and well met, Ango!” Taako said cheerfully. He had to step back to ground himself as Angus wrapped his arms around his waist in a Magnus-style bear hug. </p><p>“Hello,” Kravitz said simply, as Angus turned to him. He was clearly deciding on whether or not he wanted to touch the grim reaper or not, and in the end just settled for a nod. </p><p>“Now, my boy, be honest,” Taako said, lowering himself down to the boy detective’s height. “We saw you teaching, and is there any way that you magically charmed everyone in the room so they wouldn’t mercilessly bully you?”</p><p>Angus shrugged. “That would’ve been a good idea, but nah. They just listen to me now.”</p><p>“You must be a very good teacher,” Kravitz said politely. </p><p>Angus gave him a well-natured smile. If Taako had given him that complement, he would’ve beamed, but he took what he could get. It wasn’t that he hated Kravitz, it’s just he felt on edge around him. When he used to visit his Grandfather and his hoard, he’d pour over many books about arcane magic, and he swore somewhere it said that grim reapers could sense powerful magical beings. Even if Kravitz didn’t know he was a dragon, if he got close, he could probably sense just how powerful he was. </p><p>And, truth be told, he was the slightest bit envious of the attention Kravitz got. Taako had been around less and less as of late, even canceling their once-in-a blue-moon magic lessons for other activities. It was no reason to be impolite, though. If Taako liked Kravitz, then it was good enough for him.</p><p>Taako put a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder, dragging Angus back to the present. “Well, I don’t believe a word of it. Spill the beans, Ango! What did you do to earn the respect of a classroom full of cranky teenagers?”</p><p>“They’ve always liked me, sir,” He said, then cringed at how horrible that lie sounded. </p><p>“Bullshit.”</p><p>Angus really didn’t want to talk about it. Throwing a student out of a window wasn’t his proudest moment, and he still felt extremely guilty about it. People kept their distance now, and when he asked someone to do something, they took it as an order. Maybe they were impressed with his power. Maybe they just didn’t want to get thrown out of a window. </p><p>He didn’t want to come across as if he was bragging. Honestly, he secretly prefered the old way people treated him. He wanted to be treated like he was a twelve year old smartass, because that’s what he WAS. Now people were looking at him like he was something interesting; something powerful. He wasn’t a hero for throwing a kid out of a window. It had its perks, but he was just waiting for the whole thing to blow over.</p><p>“You should talk to Headmaster Ren about it,” He said at last, reattaching his wand to his lanyard. “She was there, and she’d be able to give you a more detailed and unbiased account of what happened. I mean, she probably wrote down the entire thing.”</p><p>Seemingly half-satisfied with this answer, or perhaps deciding to move on because Angus suddenly became so glum, Taako shrugged. “If that’s what you want, my dude. Though you’re making it sound like there was a murder,” He chuckled, then turned to Kravitz, dropping his voice to a whisper. “There wasn’t one, right?”</p><p>Kravitz shrugged unhelpfully.</p><p>“Anyways,” Taako continued, pulling out a small letter from his bag, “The others wanted to give this to you. And by ‘the others’, I meant Magnus and Merle.” He shrugged again, and Angus knew that he was trying his best to play this cool. “Maybe a few other people.”</p><p>Angus eyed the both of them, then opened the letter and scanned it’s contents. It was an invitation to a weekly dinner party/get together that Taako and his twin sister Lup hosted. It detailed the time and place, and even included a little p.s. note that read: ‘By the way, are you allergic to anything? Barry is lactose intolerant, and Taako has a peanut allergy that comes and goes. Don’t want to accidentally poison you!’. And, at the very bottom of the letter, it seemed like many people signed their names. ‘Magnus’ was written the biggest, but Davenport, Kravitz, and the Director had signed too. He found Taako’s name in cursive right next to Lup’s, which was written in a glittery orange ink. There were other names, but he didn’t find them as important.</p><p>“It’s nothing big,” Taako explained. “Every week we hold his feast for all of our close friends, and the others noticed you’d never came over before, so…,” He trailed off. </p><p>“Sir, do you consider me a close friend?” Angus said, and the letter trembled slightly in his hands.</p><p>He opened his mouth, probably to say something witty and mean, then closed it. He smiled. “Of course, Ango. You’re like a weird little son to me.” Then, he patted him on the shoulder in a very awkward way. Taako didn’t talk about his feelings a lot.</p><p>Angus was sure he would’ve broken down sobbing with joy at that point if Taako hadn’t accidentally touched him in a sore spot. He grimaced. Luckily Taako noticed, and removed his hand. “What’s up?”</p><p>“Just a little sore,” Angus muttered as Taako and Kravitz exchanged looks. “It’s not a big deal.”</p><p>“Well, since you’re everyone’s favorite teacher now, I’m sure you could get one of your students to help you out!” Taako teased, clearly deciding there had been enough mushy feelings shared tonight. “You think any of them know how to heal more than to harm?”</p><p>“No,” He answered truthfully. “Not a chance.”</p><p>“Well, we’re about to head over to where the dinner party is held,” Kravitz said, beginning to walk towards the door, “It doesn’t start until tomorrow afternoon, but if you come along, you could stay the night and meet some of the folks who will be coming beforehand. If you like.”</p><p>Angus opened his mouth to enthusiastically reply, because, duh, of course he’d like to have dinner with the people he looked up to. But he quickly shut it as he started to think of all of his recent problems. Being around all those smart and competent magic users at once? What if he had a nightmare when staying there and encased one of the guest rooms in ice? What if he cast a spell that was too powerful and everyone noticed? </p><p>“I’ll…I’ll think about it,” He said sadly, tucking the letter into his pocket. Surprised, his two guests opened their mouths to question, but Angus interrupted, “What I meant was...I’ll see you sirs tomorrow.”</p><p>“Bud, are you okay?” Kravitz stepped in front of him, blocking his exit. “You’re shaking.”</p><p>“I know we shouldn’t have given him the letter,” Takko joked, “The poor fellow is short-circuiting!”</p><p>Angus hadn’t even noticed that he was trembling furiously. He felt anxious and panicked and trapped; very similar to what he was feeling when his nightmare occured, and very similar to the practice test fiasco, and many many other times. Was this one of those panic attacks Magnus mentioned that humanoid people got?</p><p>“I’m fine,” He said, trying to keep his composure. He needed to get out of there. Now. </p><p>“I don’t think you are,” Kravitz said. Damn him for being so perceptive! “Do you need to sit down? Or would you like a glass of water-”</p><p>Kravitz stumbled to the side, eyes wide in shock as Angus pushed past him and ran out of the classroom. His skin briefly turned paler, and his warmish brown eyes turned cold and narrowed. He stumbled against the desk, momentarily paralyzed, his hand over his heart.</p><p>“Looks like he’s off in a hurry,” Taako mused to himself, then turned to his boyfriend. “Krav? You looked like you’ve just seen a ghost!”</p><p>The reaper tried his best to regain his breath and understand what the fuck just happened. It was as if he was hit with a powerful rush of magic that hit him all at once. Sometimes powerful magic overwhelmed Kravitz, but he usually was able to sense it beforehand and make out what it was. This magical force was like being hit by a truck. But as quick as it was there, it was gone. What WAS that?</p><p>“Taako,” He said carefully, “Just how powerful is Angus?”</p><p>The elven man tipped his head to one side. “I mean, he’s like the smartest kid in the world, and he can do some complicated stuff. Stuff I haven’t seen other children do. But he’s a normal human kid, right? Why?” He teased, “You think he’s a lich?”</p><p>“No”, he said bluntly, which was true. He didn’t. Liches were powerful, but nothing like that. Besides, they weren’t able to hide their magic from him. Then again, that wasn’t undead magic he was just hit with. It was very much alive magic. Ice magic? Paralyzation magic? “Yeah, I’m good,” Kravitz said, dragging himself up to his full height. He was trying hard not to act like he just got the magic equivalent of gut-punched by a kid.</p><p>“Well, if you’re done with that, we should get going to the house,” Taako said with a grin, snaking his arm around his. “Lup will want me to help her cook, and somebody needs to keep Barold away from the food while we prepare it. Leave those two lovebirds alone long enough, they’ll feed each other all our dinner.”</p><p>Kravitz, still feeling a bit out of it, nodded. “Yes, love, you’re right. But perhaps we should say goodbye to Ren first? She always complains that you haven’t visited enough recently.” </p><p>“It's not my fault I haven’t visited. Marketing and  product placement takes time, ya know? Anyways, I want to find out what Angus did to make everyone scared of him, so it’s a win-win,” Taako said, parroting his thoughts. </p><p>They both walked out of the empty classroom and down the hall, ignoring the stares of students that usually came with their visits. Taako was talking about something, probably dinner, but it fell onto deaf ears. Kravitz was trying to wrack his brains, reaching back centuries of his reaper duties to try and remember if something like that had ever happened before. When he couldn’t think of anything, he tried to reassure his frustrations by promising to consult the Raven Queen to see if she had any answers.</p><p>Though, in his mind, Kravitz had an idea on what just might’ve scared those students into submission.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter is shorter than the other one, but I promise we're slowly building up to actual plot! Also by the time I'm posting this it's like two in the morning so sorry if it's a bit weird lmao.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Raven Queen Unanswered [3]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kravitz gets a few more answers, and with the help of Magnus, a lot more questions.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“He threw a kid out of a window!”</p><p>Kravitz hadn’t pestered Taako about Angus anymore since their quick chat in the classroom. He didn’t want to draw too much attention to it, and decided he was going to gather information quietly. Though, it was hard not to draw attention to Angus’s weird abilities with the new information they got about the Rockseeker kid’s expulsion.</p><p>It had been exactly three minutes since Kravitz and Taako had arrived at the house, which they shared with the rest of the IPRE crew from time to time. Kravitz didn’t even have time to hang up his feathered coat before Taako had rushed off to find anyone he could and relay what they had just heard from Headmaster Ren.</p><p>A burly fellow was leaning against the counter, his arms crossed and a troubled expression on his face. “That doesn’t sound like Angus. He doesn’t like unnecessary violence.” Magnus said as two dogs circled at his feet, sniffing at the floor.</p><p>Kravitz wasn’t surprised that Magnus looked upset. He was a very down to earth person, and it had been made clear that he hated bullies and, like Angus, unnecessary violence. His kindness and mercy was not something to be messed with, though. He could easily take on most people in hand-to-hand combat and win. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a tiny bit intimidated by him.</p><p>“It’s true!” Taako said incredulously, as if he couldn’t believe it himself, “Ren said he got challenged for his teaching position by this dwarven gal and he just flung her out the cafeteria window! She said it was probably the strongest Mage Hand she’d seen a twelve year old do!”</p><p>“Okay Taako, we get it, you’ve taught the kid super well and you’re happy that it’s paying off,” Lup said from the other end of the kitchen, where she was washing dishes.“You can just say it.”</p><p>Lup was an odd person. She was Taako’s twin sister, and they looked so much alike that out of the corner of one’s eye they could easily blur into the same person. She was much more passionate and energetic than her brother, and normally expressed her feelings through her loud words and her loud actions. She was also a dangerous foe, Kravitz found that out when the Raven Queen hired her and her partner, Barry. Truely a force to be reckoned with.</p><p>“That’s the thing, I didn’t teach him that!” He put both of his hands on his own chest. “Sure, we’ve trained together here and there, but there is no way that he should be able to perform a Mage Hand THAT powerful. It’s ridiculous! You should see how afraid his students are of him!”</p><p>“That’s kickass. When the kid comes over we should ask him to do it to Merle,” She grinned.</p><p>As they talked, Kravitz tried to get a read of the room. Taako seemed to find this more funny and surprising than interesting. Magnus seemed troubled, but not about Angus’s weird powers. In fact, he seemed worried about the kid that got hurt. Lup, well, Lup thought anything that was chaotic and violent was cool.</p><p>“Well, it is Angus we’re talking about,” Magnus said with a frown.</p><p>Kravitz, who had been quiet for this entire conversation, butted in, “What do you mean?” </p><p>“Angus has always been a little...off,” Taako said, though he didn’t look too bothered by it. “Remember what happened on the Rockport Limited? All that wacky shit?” When he saw his boyfriend’s confused look, he added, “Merle tried to cast Zone of Truth on him, and the kid ignored it like it was nothing. Not really surprising, but Zone of Truth is Merle’s most powerful spell, so that’s saying something.”</p><p>“And in the car where we found the engineer and Graham,” Magnus said indifferently, “He told us not to move, but we couldn’t hear a thing. Angus turned around and fired an arrow into this huge invisible crab monster that was hanging on the ceiling. Then he dragged a full grown man out of the car. Still probably one of the most badass things I’ve seen him do.”</p><p>“Don’t forget when we had to jump from the train,” Taako replied. “He landed pretty okay for a small fleshy kid. I almost died!”</p><p>“I don’t think you sucking ass at being an adventurer has anything to do with this,” Lup laughed.</p><p>Taako stuck his tongue out at her, but continued on. “It’s just one of Angus’s weird quirks. He’s the greatest detective in the world, and he picks up new things very easily. It’s just what he does.”</p><p>Kravitz personally thought shooting an invisible target with great precision or resisting powerful spells couldn’t easily be chalked up to just a ‘quirk’. “Doesn’t that seem weird to you guys?” He protested.</p><p>Lup shrugged. “I mean, yeah, it’s a bit strange. But Angus isn’t normal. We’re not normal.” She gestured in a circle to everyone in the room. “We’ve all done impossible things.”</p><p>“Krav, dearest,” Taako said, wrapping an arm around his waist, “Not everything is out to get ‘cha boy, ‘kay? There’s nothing and nobody to worry about. Especially not Angus.” He said the last part with a snort.</p><p>“I’m not worried about that,” He insisted, moving away from him. “I just think it’s a bit strange, is all.”</p><p>He chuckled. “There’s nobody we know who isn’t a little strange. You start to get desensitized to it after the sentient robots and the reality-bending liches.”</p><p>“Has anyone else arrived yet?” Lup piped up from her place next to sink. She quickly made work of turning it off and walking over to join their group. “It’s pretty late, and Merle promised to bring some garlic cloves on his way over here. It would be nice to have them so we can start cooking in the morning.”</p><p>“Haven’t seen anyone. Who has yet to show up?”</p><p>“Carey, Killian, Davenport, Merle, Mavis, Mookie, and Angus, I think. Oh, and Lucretia.”</p><p>Taako made a sort of hiss that went unheard. </p><p>“Mags, Ghost Rider, can you two do me a favor? Would you go check the other end of the beach to see if anyone’s stuck in the forest? It’s always a little confusing to traverse in there.” Lup turned towards the hallway, beckoning her twin to follow. “Me and ‘Ko are going to wake Barry up and run through the list of things we need to prepare tomorrow.”</p><p>Kravitz opened his mouth to decline. He didn’t feel like walking down the beach at night after a tiring day of wandering about. But before he could get the words out, Magnus gave a gruff nod. “‘Course, Lup.”</p><p>Sighing internally, he also nodded. “We’ll try not to be long.”</p><p>Giving a little wave, Taako and his sister disappeared down the hallway, leaving Magnus and Kravitz alone.</p><p>Magnus moved from his spot at the counter and whistled, calling the two dogs to his feet. Then, without a word, walked out the door. Which was odd. He was normally a chatty person and loud in his own way. While Lup was loud in an ‘I’m not going to let you or anyone else ignore me’ way, he was loud in a ‘I’m friendly and it’s gonna be easy to know me’ kinda of way. Kravitz followed, not sure what to say or do.</p><p>The beach was illuminated by moonlight. Stars glittered peacefully in the darkened sky above and the breeze breathed salty air into their lungs. It was a wonderful place to settle, but tonight the silence was deafening. Water licked at their feet as they walked along awkwardly.</p><p>Kravitz wasn’t much for conversation, but Magnus was a decent guy, and he found himself wanting to help. He couldn’t think of anything worth saying, so he simply dipped his head and announced, “Those are quite the dogs you got there.” He was more of a cat person himself, but now wasn’t the time or place. </p><p>“Thanks,” Magnus said gruffly, keeping his eyes planted to the sand.</p><p>He sighed. “Magnus, look, I can’t think of any way to sneakily ask you about your feelings, so I’m going to be upfront about it. You seem glum, my old friend. What’s up?”</p><p>The warrior looked at him for a moment, then let out a sigh of his own. “I’m just worried about Angus.”</p><p>Kravitz nodded. “I understand. I feel the same. The others don’t seem to think much of it, though.”</p><p>“Taako cares,” Magnus explained, rubbing a thumb over his palm thoughtfully. “When he doesn’t understand something, or when he doesn’t want other people to know what he’s feeling, he pretends to be indifferent. Or he focuses his feelings on some other information. I don’t even think he knows he’s doing it.”</p><p>“But I know he’s worried about Angus, at least a little bit. That school is stressful for him, I can tell. Angus is smart, but he’s still a kid, ya’know? He shouldn’t have to worry about jobs and murder mysteries and kids making fun of him. I wish,” He paused, trying to find the right words, “I wish I knew what happened to his parents.”</p><p>That stopped Kravitz in his tracks. “His parents?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Magnus quit walking too, so the both of them stood in the darkened sand. “He talked about visiting his dying Grandpa when we were on the Rockport Limited, and I think he mentioned his Father once, but he doesn’t talk about them.” He shook his head. “Then he started working for the Bureau of Balance; he had his own room and...was basically alone. Just a kid. He didn’t ever visit anyone back on the surface.”</p><p>“You think they’re dead?” Kravitz asked solemnly. </p><p>“I dunno,” Magnus shrugged. “I thought Lucretia might’ve known, but when we tried to look up his family, there were no papers for anyone. Not even for Angus. No birth certificate, nothing. It’s like they didn’t even exist. When we asked Angus about not finding records of his family, he said they got burned in a house fire. He wouldn’t explain further than that.”</p><p>“That’s...wow. And you haven’t told the others?”</p><p>“Why would I?” Magnus’s face turned grim. “I mean, you know how that would go. Taako would make a joke of it and brush it off, and Merle, well, Merle doesn’t like Angus. At all. Angus adores them, and they just act like it’s nothing,” He turned towards the ocean. The moonlight lit up his face, and Kravitz noticed he looked tired beyond his years. “I’m guilty of that too, but I’m trying to be better. I’ve thought about taking him in, now that I’ve got my own place at my dog school. I know Taako is his mentor and all, but the kid needs structure. He needs a family, and we’re right here for him. Besides, answer me honestly; do you think Taako would make a good parent?”</p><p>Kravitz instantly knew the answer, but hesitated for politeness. “I think he’d make a good wine-uncle,” He joked, then fell serious. “You’re right. If it means anything, I think you’d make a great father.”</p><p>The two men walked further along the beach, watching the dogs in front of them pounce and play. He was getting answers, sure, but at the same time more questions were being brought up. Why doesn’t Angus and his family have any identification papers? Why is he so independent? Were his parents even dead?</p><p>He gasped, and his hand shot out to hit Magnus in the shoulder. “Ow!” He said, more out of surprise than actually being hurt. As if a slap could hurt Magnus Burnsides. ”What was that for?”</p><p>But Kravitz was already bending over, pulling five raven feathers from his pocket. He placed them gently on the sand in a circle order, then grinned at his friend. “Why don’t we ask the Queen of Death herself about Angus’s parents?”</p><p>Magnus’s eyes widened in realization. He nodded, then took a few steps back and let the reaper do his work.</p><p>“Oh, my divine grace,” Kravitz began, dropping to his knees dramatically in the sand. “I know that it is late, and not my work hours. I ask you to bestow upon me this one request, as I am a servant of you and also your favorite employee.”</p><p>The raven feathers stirred slightly, and the shadows around them seemed to darken. The dogs started to whimper. Kravitz took this as a good sign.</p><p>“My Queen, we ask that, if fallen, you present us the parents of the human Angus McDonald, boy detective,” He felt a little silly saying it, but it was his title, after all, “We grow worried about him, and it would calm our souls of we knew whether or not they were in your eternal kingdom.”</p><p>“Stick a feather up for yes, and stick two feathers up for no!” Magnus yelled. Kravitz shot him a warning look.</p><p>“Please, your majesty,” Kravitz pleaded, “Do you know the whereabouts of his parents?”</p><p>They waited a few moments, and nothing happened. They waited a few more, and nothing still. Okay, weird. The Raven Queen always answered his calls.</p><p>“My Queen,” He said, confused, “Can you hear me?”</p><p>Much to his disappointment and relief, one of the feathers stood on their own, then flopped down again. </p><p>“I’ll ask again,” Kravitz cleared his throat, “Do you know if at least one of the parents of the human Angus McDonald resides in the Sea of Souls?”</p><p>“Do you really have to throw the ‘human’ in there?” Magnus asked.</p><p>“Yes, I do. It helps clarify things. What if there was a elf named Angus McDonald out there somewhere?”</p><p>But as they waited, still no response came. Kravitz wasn’t going to lie, he was a little weirded out.</p><p>“It’s a yes or no question,” Magnus whispered loudly, “Do you think that your Queen doesn’t know the answer?”</p><p>“Please,” Kravitz said, sounding a bit insulted, “The Raven Queen is all knowing. She knows every person who’s passed on to the afterlife, from the tiniest mouse to the biggest dragon. No, there must be something wrong with our question.”</p><p>“I thought it was pretty straightforward. I mean, how more specific can you get than ‘Human Angus McDonald: Boy Detective?’”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Kravitz’s lips thinned in frustration. There wasn’t really anything more to ask. “Is the human Angus McDonald a lich?”</p><p>No answer.</p><p>“Maybe Angus isn’t his real name,” Magnus said, putting a hand to his chin. </p><p>“No, no. Death knows all the names of a being,” With a sigh, Kravitz picked up the feathers and put them into his pocket. The shadows around them also returned to normal. “Maybe my Queen is busy.”</p><p>“But, dude, she answered one of our questions,” Magnus pointed out, and his dogs returned to his side. “Maybe she just doesn’t understand the question. When Fisher was around, sometimes I asked them yes and no questions, and they stayed silent when they didn’t know how to answer.”</p><p>“Let’s...let’s just get home to the others,” Kravitz replied, turning around and walking towards the beach house. “And, Magnus? Perhaps it’s best if we keep this exchange to ourselves. We don’t want the others to know that the Raven Queen may be uncertain.” Which, in unspoken terms, meant: ‘Don’t go around asking questions about Angus. We don’t want the others to know something is up.’</p><p>Magnus gave him a quick nod, showing he understood. “Are you going to tell Taako?”</p><p>Kravitz hesitated. He wasn’t a person with many to-the-death secrets, and he usually shared tales and stories if asked. Especially to Taako. He told his boyfriend everything. </p><p>But this was different. Something was very wrong. Angus was powerful, more powerful than a normal human twelve year old should be. More knowledgeable, too. Not only that, his family were practically non-existent, to the point that not even the Raven Queen knew where they were. </p><p>“No,” He said, and he knew that meant that Magnus knew how serious he was about this. “No, I don’t think I will. And I think it would be wise if we confront Angus about what we talked about tonight. For his safety.” He paused, letting that statement linger in the air for a bit. “Since we’re on the same terms, and will probably be working together to solve this, let me tell you what happened when we talked to him at school…”</p><p>His friend gave a hum of agreement, and they headed back to the house.</p><p>While he retold the story, Kravitz couldn’t get one thought out of his mind. What was so hard to understand about the words ‘Human Angus McDonald’?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Taako and Kravitz are certified wine-uncles, you can't change my mind.</p><p>Next chapter is where things will start to get a bit interesting ;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Disturbed Dinner Party pt.1 [4]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Angus arrives at the dinner party, and Lup enlists him to find their missing member. Well, one of them.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mustering up his courage, Angus knocked on the wooden door in front of him. He tried his best not to tip over the rather large jug he held on his hand as he hit his closed fist against the wood, then stepped back to wait for an answer. </p><p>After the encounter he had with Taako and Kravitz, he had rushed to his room in an attempt to calm himself down. He had scolded himself, too, for letting his anxiety and worries get the best of him. Why did he have to panic in simple situations? Why couldn’t he just do things without his thoughts racing out of control?</p><p>He wore himself out after a while of spiraling and just ended up falling asleep on the floor. </p><p>When he remembered Taako’s dinner invitation through the brain-fog that came with waking up, he debated for hours whether or not he should go. It had turned evening when he rushed to whip up a quick surprise for them and headed to the beach house, after notifying Headmaster Ren of his whereabouts. </p><p>There were distant shouts of “No, you get it!”, and “Why me? You’re closer to the door!” coming from inside the house. Angus almost pushed aside politeness for curiosity and hovered his hand above the doorknob before it swung open, causing him to jump back and almost spill the jug. </p><p>“Woah!” A tall orc woman towered above him, and upon seeing him, pulled him into her arms and gave him a big embrace. “Pipsqueak! I didn’t know you were coming!”</p><p>It took a few seconds for Angus to regain his breath, both from being startled and from getting the air squeezed out of him. “Yes... yes, I’m h-here! Taako and Kravitz invited me-”</p><p>Killian put him down with a pat on the head. “Spare the chit-chat for later! Come on inside!” She opened the door for him to enter. Angus followed her inside. </p><p>“Hey, guess who’s here!” She loudly announced, causing him to grin sheepishly. “How come you didn’t tell me that he was coming over?”</p><p>Lup, who was perched on a table opposite of them, gave a half-hearted shrug. “You didn’t ask,” Then she turned to Angus, her ears perked up. “What’cha got there, little man?”</p><p>“It’s some lemonade, Ma’am!” He said cheerfully, holding out the jug for her to inspect. “I wanted to contribute something, but I figured you and Taako had the food covered, so I made a beverage!”</p><p>Lup nodded seriously. “Good, good. Without you our throats would be lightly less satisfied. You can just put it on the table here, and I’ll tell Taako about it in a bit.” This made Angus chuckle, and he placed the jug beside her before turning to the buff lady beside him.</p><p> “You should get yourself situated, pipsqueak. I’ll go tell the others you’re here,” Killian said, “And don’t try to sneak any food from the kitchens. It’s not worth it.” She gave a long look into the distance, as if remembering a gruesome battle. “Learned that the hard way.”</p><p>“If you want to know where everyone is; Magnus and Carey are out collecting firewood, and Taako is in the kitchen,” Lup huffed. “He kicked me out too. You throw a glob of dough at him one time and suddenly you’re expelled.”</p><p>Angus jerked a bit at the mention of that word, but nobody seemed to notice.</p><p>“Lucretia and Kravitz are somewhere tasting wine and making light conversation with Davenport, probably. They’re all stuck up like that,” Lup continued with a snort, “And Merle and his kids haven’t even bothered to show up yet. Or answer their Stones-of-Farspeech. Typical.” She leaned forward. “But before you go Ango, I’ve got two jobs for you.”</p><p>He blinked. “S-sure?”</p><p>“First, could you find Barry for me? I haven’t seen him since this morning, and I need him to pass a message to Taako, since I’m not allowed in the kitchen,” She began, and her mouth twisted mischievously. “Secondly, I’ve heard from the boys that you’ve got a pretty stellar Mage Hand spell.”</p><p>Angus felt like a bucket of cold water was being dumped on him. </p><p>Lup threw her head back in laughter. “Come on, kid, you’re not in trouble! No need to look like a goblin caught in the firelight!” He gave a few weak chuckles of his own as she continued to cackle. “I’m just messing with you. I honestly think the kid deserved it. I mean, that’s what I probably would’ve done.”</p><p>Not feeling at all reassured, Angus just muttered a few quick words of agreement then scampered off to find Barry. </p><p>The best place to check first seemed to be the library. Most members of the IPRE enjoyed spending their time reading and learning, as most of them were scientists with degrees or just curious people. And, on an exciting night like this, it was most likely to be devoid of other people. It would be a good start to check there.</p><p>He walked down one of the halls until he happened upon a huge polished dark oak door. Opening it carefully, he slipped inside and called out, “Barry? Miss Lup wants to see you.”</p><p>“Looking for Barry, kid? Well, you’re out of luck, because I haven’t seen him today.” said a nasily voice.</p><p>Damn it. Looks like the library wasn’t as empty as he thought it was going to be. </p><p>Davenport, Lucretia and Kravitz sat in some comfortable-looking chairs around a table, their attention turned to him. He tried to ignore Kravitz’s stare the best he could, still inwardly cringing at their earlier interaction. Had he felt how powerful he was? Did he tell anyone? It seemed like moments before they were playing some kind of card game and sipping at wine. </p><p>“Hello, Angus,” Lucretia said calmly, dipping her head. “It’s nice to see that you’ve finally arrived. We were worried you weren’t going to come.”</p><p>“Hello, Madame Director-,” Angus began, but was cut off by a chuckle. </p><p>“Please, none of that here,” She waved her hand. “You can call me Lucretia.”</p><p>“Okay, I’ll do that,” He agreed, walking up to their table. He knew he should be investigating about Barry, but he let his curiosity take the better of him. “What are you guys playing?”</p><p>“Nothing of interest. Word of advice, kid, never gamble with Death,” Davenport said, shooting daggers at the reaper to his right. </p><p>Kravitz laughed. “If you want your twenty gold pieces back, you can just say so.”</p><p>“No way,” The red-headed gnome huffed. “You keep your filthy money.”</p><p>“I hate to interrupt your banter, sirs,” Angus said, “But I’ve been tasked to find Barry and I was wondering if you guys might have known where he’s gone?”</p><p>Kravitz got up at once, and as he did, the cards vanished in a puff of smoke. He straightened his tie and said, “I should go. Magnus will probably want to know it’s close to dinner time. It was lovely playing with you both. Perhaps some other day we could do it again?” While he did this, his gaze purposefully was avoiding the kid detective. Odd.</p><p>“Eh, go steal somebody else’s money!” Davenport grumbled, but there was a smile on his face as he said it. Lucertia waved as he left silently and in a hurry. </p><p>“Anyways,” Angus repeated, “About Barry…”</p><p>“Barry’s been going off a lot by himself lately,” Davenport said, taking another sip of his wine. “I found him muttering to himself on the beach a few days ago. Just pacing back and forth like there was no tomorrow.”</p><p>“I’ve noticed that too,” Lucertia tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I think I saw him head towards the storage closet this morning, if that helps any. He usually wanders off from time to time, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Maybe he’s just nervous.”</p><p>“About what, though?” Davenport asked, sparing Angus the need to. “I mean, sure, he’s always a bit nervous about this or that, but maybe he just needs space. He lives in this house full-time with four other people, at least.” He yawned. “Anyways, that’s all we know, kid.”</p><p>“Thank you for helping,” Angus said, dipping his head to both of the older folk. </p><p>After a chorus of ‘no problems’, he exited the library and headed towards the central storage closet. It was less of a closet and more of a room, per se. It where people kept their weapons and junk when they stayed over, besides the stuff in their room. It was a good place to be alone and breathe.</p><p>Angus walked up to the door and held a fist to it, then pulled back. What if he knocked, and Barry got startled and fell on an axe or something? Maybe it was better to make sure he was there a different way.</p><p>When he looked around and saw nobody near, Angus let out a few loud sniffs, trying to see if Barry had entered the room recently. A sharp smell of sweat, new jeans, and the slighest hint of death filled his nose. Yep. That was Barry’s scent. The room was also filled with the smell of fear, and Angus felt his blood run cold. Was Barry in trouble?</p><p>He pulled out his crossbow from his back and positioned it in front of him. If there was an intruder in there, he would have to have the element of surprise. With a shout, Angus kicked open the door and pointed his crossbow in the darkened room at a shadowed figure.</p><p>“Ah! Fuck!” The figure yelled, fumbling in the dark with something. Thanks to his darkvision he had from being a dragon, Angus could see Barry, clutching his chest with one hand and his other hand gripped around a small object. “You could’ve given me a heart attack! I’m not as young as I used to be, kid!”</p><p>“Sorry, sir,” Angus said, putting away his crossbow. “I thought you were a bad guy! Miss Lup wants to see you, by the way.”</p><p>“O-oh. Okay,” Barry said, glancing at the object in his hand momentarily, then sighing. “Tell her I’ll be right there.”</p><p>“Is something wrong, sir?” Angus asked, knowing that even if there wasn’t a bad guy, he still smelled Barry’s fear as clear as day. </p><p>Barry shook his head. “No, Ango, I’m good, really. I’ll be down for dinner, ‘kay?”</p><p>Angus lit the ceiling lamp with his wand and closed the door so that they both stood in the room alone. “Sir, I think it’s an insult to my intelligence for you to lie and pretend that nothing is bothering you. I can see it. If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”</p><p>The older man sighed again, then sat down on the floor, leaning his back up against a box of weapons. Angus joined him at his side. “It’s just...I’m nervous about Lup,” He began, then corrected himself, “I mean, I’m nervous about this.” And he extended his hand, revealing a small box with a very pretty and very shiny ring inside. </p><p>Angus’s eyes widened. He shook his head, burying the instinct to reach out and take it. Stupid dragon instincts. “You’re going to propose to her?!”</p><p>He held up a finger to his lips. “Shhh! Keep your voice down! Do you want other people to hear?” Barry plucked the ring out of the box and held it, a small smile forming upon his face. “We’re already married, technically. We had a small courthouse wedding on one of the planes during our one hundred year journey. We didn’t know if we’d ever defeat the hunger, or escape every single time with just one person on board, so we decided to just...do it.”</p><p>“That’s really sweet, sir.”</p><p>“Yeah. It was. But, unfortunately, we couldn’t find the light that year, and everyone and everything there got consumed. Including our marriage papers,” He laughed dryly, but then his face softened. “I just wanted to ask her again, now that we’ve got a home to stay in. We could have a grand wedding or something. Anything she wants. We could make it official in this realm,” He finished.</p><p>“Well, I think that’s a great idea!” Angus said enthusiastically, “I’m sure Miss Lup would love it!”</p><p>Barry looked nervous again. “You think so? What if-”</p><p>Angus pushed his glasses further up his nose with confidence. “I’m the greatest detective in the world, aren’t I? You'll be fine!”</p><p>Barry hesitated, then stood up and opened the door. He avoided his gaze as he slipped the box back into his pocket. “I don't doubt you, kid. I know she'll like the ring, it's just...," He shook his head, apparently trying to clear his thoughts. "Come on, dinner’s probably going to start any minute now.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another short chapter before things get really interesting &gt;:3</p><p>Barry is nervous to ask the woman he's married to....to marry him. He's just like that. </p><p>Also! Comments and Kudos are very appreciated! Thank you!!</p><p>edit: made some minor changes. originally Barry slipped the box into his pocket twice. Oops!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Disturbed Dinner Party pt.2 [5]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Angus and Carey check the forest for their missing dinner member, Merle.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They made their way into the kitchen soon after. Barry walked over to Lup, who was stirring a good-smelling substance, and kissed her on the cheek. Angus gave him a thumbs up. He received a glare in return.</p><p>“What was the hold up, Ango? You took forever,” Lup joked, setting aside her spoon. She was now wearing a red apron that had clearly read: ‘Kiss the Cook’, but the ‘C’ and ‘k’ had been burnt and replaced with L and p. </p><p>“Detective work is not always fast!” He stated matter-of-factly.</p><p>“Well, it was long enough that Taako forgot about my temporary ban from the kitchen,” She grinned, then put an arm around her partner. “Where did you find him?”</p><p>“Uh,” Angus looked at Barry, then back at Lup, and tried his best to genuinely smile. “He was just reading in the storage closet, Ma’am. He was so wrapped up in a book he didn’t notice what time it was!”</p><p>She turned to him. “Reading?”</p><p>Barry turned red. “Y-yeah! What can I say?” He said, giving his shoulders a clumsy shrug. “Lucas let me borrow some of his books and I was in a trance. Angus snapped me out, though.” He gave the detective an appreciative nod for the quick lie.</p><p>“Ah,” Lup nodded, her tone filled with understanding. “I see. Going back to your nerdy ways, huh?”</p><p>“Since when did I ever stop?” He joked, then gave her another kiss on the cheek. “So, is there anything you need help with? Any last-minute ingredients you need collecting?”</p><p>Her face hardened. “I would’ve liked some garlic, but Merle still hasn’t arrived yet. Which is odd, even for him. He’s been late before, but he seems to be stretching it this time. We might have to start without him.”</p><p>“What about Mavis and Mookie?” Angus asked. </p><p>“They’re kind of a package deal,” Barry pointed out. “I’m sure wherever they are they’ll make it just in time to eat whatever leftovers we had planned on keeping. But still, there’s no shame in starting a little late, eh?”</p><p>Lup put a hand on her hip. “You’ll have to talk that up with Taako. I know we have these dinners sort-of weekly, but it’s the first time in a while everyone’s here, and it’s also Angus’s first time,” She turned back to cooking. “And don’t tell him I asked to start later. That’s all on the nerdy bunch over here.” She pointed to both Barry and Angus with her free hand.</p><p>“What about the nerdy bunch?” Taako walked in, closely followed by Kravitz, who carefully avoided Angus’s gaze. </p><p>“We were wondering if we should hold off dinner for a bit. Just until Merle gets here,” Barry explained.</p><p>“Merle?” Taako echoed, “Fuck no!”</p><p>“Magnus and Carey are back with the firewood,” Kravitz informed them. “We’re all ready, if you want to start right now. And if it makes you feel better,” He turned to Barry, “We could send someone to check the forest’s edge again.”</p><p>“I don’t see the point in doing that,” Taako scowled. “If he was here, he’d just let us know, yeah?”</p><p>“I like to know who’s on my land,” Lup responded, rolling her eyes. “There is a reason why we live next to a beach with a dark, confusing, and twisted woods behind us. If we lived somewhere like Neverwinter, we’d never see the end of it. People coming to visit left and right; wanting to know our story or hear tales of our adventures! I’d rather just forget half that stuff anyways.”</p><p>The room fell into a tense silence.</p><p>“I didn’t mean that, by the way,” She added softly.</p><p>“It’s okay, Taako. We know you just don’t want to have to do any extra walking,” Barry said. The mood was restored, and the joke earned a chuckle from everyone in the room. Taako looked betrayed. “It’s not even that long of a walk, really.”</p><p>“You say that while walking in the sand with heels!” Taako crossed his arms. “It’s not all fun n’ games, ya know.”</p><p>“I’ll go, sir,” Angus offered. He wanted to make up for his most recent mistakes, and maybe impressing the people he cared about would make him feel better. “I mean, if you want. I’ll be back before you can say ‘cheese and crackers’!”</p><p>The adults looked thoughtful for a moment. </p><p>“He can’t go alone,” Barry spoke up first.</p><p>“He can take someone with him,” Lup replied, placing the wooden spoon in the pot. “Maybe Killian or Magnus?  Someone to keep him safe?”</p><p>“I’m not a baby, you know,” Angus said, though he was secretly glad that they still saw him as a human child. </p><p>“Yeah, let the kid roam!” Taako punched his fist in the air. “He’s strong enough to handle his own.”</p><p>“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Barry butted in. “He’s still young.”</p><p>“And we don’t want to keep dinner waiting for too long. You know, the entire thing we’re trying to avoid?” Lup argued. “So let’s just pick a person and get it over with. Hell, it can even be a person in this room! Just pick so Taako and I can get back to finishing up.”</p><p>Kravitz, unlike everyone else, seemed to have no comment on the matter. Angus noticed that when the reaper thought he wasn’t looking, he would turn and observe him. Not in a creepy way, but in a more curious manner. Like he was a sort of rare lizard to be looked at. He was sure that Kravitz knew, or at least suspected, that something was up with him. In fact, if Angus were him, he’d use the chance of a walk to squeeze out information, so he decided to put a stop to that before it started.</p><p>“How about Carey?” Angus suggested, and all the adults turned to him, surprised, as if they forgot he was there while they argued. “She’s the fastest of us, and she loves food, so she’ll have an incentive to hurry back.”</p><p>“Did someone say food?” Carey walked in, tailed by Magnus, a big toothy grin on her face. </p><p>“Seems like everyone’s timing but Merle’s is on point today!” Taako whispered behind his hand to Barry. </p><p>“Carey, could you go with Angus to check the edge of the woods for any signs of Merle and his kids?” Lup asked, clearly getting tired of all the people in the kitchen. “We’ll hold off eating until you get back, but if Merle’s not with you, that’s his loss.”</p><p>“Oh! Uh, sure. Why not. That sounds like fun,” She said, giving a friendly wave to Angus. He waved back. </p><p>“Actually, Carey, could I speak to you beforehand?” Magnus said suddenly, but gave an apologetic smile. “It’ll take less than a moment.”</p><p>“Okay? Angus, I’ll meet you in a bit,” The blue dragonborn disappeared again with Magnus, and the rest of the crowd started their final preparations and went their separate ways. After saying a few quick goodbyes, he went to the front yard to wait. Positioning himself on the steps, he sat down and allowed himself some much needed thinking time. </p><p>Things were going pretty well, as far as Angus was concerned. Everyone else seemed to be having a good time, and their happiness was infectious. He had to admit, it was nice to get away from the school and the stress, even if it was just for an evening. Plus, the future seemed to be looking bright as well. Barry and Lup might get married, and that was something to look forward to. </p><p>What puzzled him at the moment was their one missing guest: Merle. Maybe he had decided to ditch the dinner on purpose? Why? He knew that the dwarven man wasn’t too fond of him, but that surely wasn’t enough reason to not attend? Angus was no fool. He tried to be bright and kind towards folks, but that wasn’t enough sometimes. </p><p>But Merle wouldn’t do that. Even if he was a little harsh, he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to hang out with his family, right? Angus kind of missed Mavis and Mookie, who were the closest to his age than anyone else. He never felt more free than playing and laughing with them. He could see their faces now, smiling at him, waving at him to play a game…</p><p>Falling out of a window.</p><p>With a slow rising feeling of dread, something clicked in his head. The girl he threw out of the window. Her last name was Rockseeker. </p><p>She was related to Merle.</p><p>God! How could he be so stupid?! Of course Merle doesn’t want to come and have dinner; Angus flung one of his relatives out of a window! Just one more reason to hate him! As if he didn’t have enough!</p><p>He sniffed. Merle would probably hate him even more if he knew his true identity. They all would. That’s why he had to keep it a secret. What if they thought he was a monster or something. They were adventurers, of course they would! What if demand him to show them his hoard, then collect all the gold for themselves. What if-</p><p>“Angus?”</p><p>Carey was standing at the doorway when he turned around. “Y-yeah, Ma’am?” He asked, taking off his glasses and wiping them dry. “Are you ready to go?”</p><p>She walked over to him and sat down, her tail wrapping comfortably around him. It felt familiar to him. “Why all the tears, my warrior?” He had often gone on small missions with Carey, Killian, and Noelle, when they needed his help or just wanted him to tag along. They were close, and he felt like Carey was his big sister, in a way. She was closer to being his sister than any other human would be.</p><p>“I just,” He stopped, trying to catch his breath, “Do you think Merle hates me?”</p><p>She seemed taken aback at this statement, but she didn’t lecture him or try to put him down. She clearly didn’t try to lie to him either, as it took her awhile to word her answer. “Merle hates all children.”</p><p>“He doesn’t hate his own kids,” Angus pouted.</p><p>“That’s because they’re his kids,” Carey said, giving him a light pat on the back. “And listen, he doesn’t hate you. Not really. If you’re so worked up about this, you should just tell him that it’s bothering you. And if he doesn’t listen, put him in his place, right?” She grinned again, and Angus found himself half-wishing he could smile sharply at her too.</p><p>He nodded. “Let’s just check the forest so we can go back and eat.” Angus got up and started to walk along the water’s edge, taking his sweet time, and Carey soon followed.</p><p>“So...are you excited for summer?”</p><p>Angus tilted his head. “Summer?”</p><p>“Summer break. Taako told me that it’s a week from now.”</p><p>In all his stress and worrying, Angus had totally forgotten that next week was indeed the last week of school. That’s when the assignments happened, and dueling students would be chosen if they would return next year. </p><p>He hadn’t thought that much about what he wanted to do for the summer. Part of him thought of lying about going on vacation so he could fly up to his hoard and chill there for the entire time. Or at least visit it. Maybe if he saw that everything was okay, he’d stop having those nightmares about thieves and stolen hoards.</p><p>“Oh, yeah. We’re supposed to have final assessments next week,” He dreaded the amount of paperwork that met him when he got home.</p><p>“I can’t imagine teaching at Taako’s school. Everyone just seems on edge all the time,” Carey shook her head. Angus decided not to confirm or deny that. “Anyways, what are you planning on doing for the summer? Are you traveling with your parents or something?”</p><p>His parents. When was the last time he’d seen them? They lived extremely far away; about a week’s flight, or a month’s trek on foot, deep in the wilderness. Unlike other Silver Dragons, his parents prefered to keep to themselves. They had no interest in human societies. </p><p>She was looking at him strangely now, and Angus got a weird feeling that he was being interrogated, but he brushed it aside. People sometimes asked about his parents, but he usually danced around answering, or didn’t answer at all. </p><p>Angus shrugged. “I could, if I wanted to.”</p><p>Carey seemed to think about this for a while. “Do they live far?”</p><p>Why was she so interested? He considered moving onto a different topic, but that seemed even more suspicious. “Yeah. Far enough.”</p><p>“And they’re fine with you living alone?”</p><p>Angus suddenly felt annoyed. “Why would they care? I haven’t ever lived with them!”</p><p>Perhaps he said too much, but he didn’t care. She looked stunned, perhaps even worried, but he didn’t give her a chance to respond. He stomped off as they reached the edge of the woods, pulling out his wand and inspecting some bushes. </p><p>The truth was that Angus had never lived with his parents. He was raised by his Grandpa, who had a lair close to Neverwinter, in the mountain range of the Teeth. It was there Angus learned how to fly and breathe ice and paralyzing gas. He learned about plants and animals and books and how to speak Common. And, eventually, about Silver Dragons taking on human personas.</p><p>But now his Grandpa was dead, and he didn’t have anyone to share that side of him with.</p><p>“I know I shouldn’t pry too much into your life, Ango,” Carey said where she stood. “That’s kind of a big part of a thieves’ honor system. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”</p><p>He didn’t like people asking questions they wouldn’t like answers to, but he knew she was just concerned.</p><p>“It’s okay,” Angus said. “Let’s just get to looking.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so this part of the fic ended up being really long so I've split them into two parts. The next chapter will be posted directly after this one. Also sorry if me updating really frequently annoys you, my ADHD brain decided to hyperfocus on this fic during quarantine. </p><p>Have a good day! Hope y'all like the next part &gt;:3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Visitor's Future [6]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everyone finds out what's been keeping Merle so long. Meanwhile, Paloma predicts a undesirable future for a visitor.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They both looked for Merle down the path and searched along the neighboring trees. It was dark, but with darkvision they didn’t have any problems. There was no trace of anyone travelling to or from the beach. No sounds but the gentle forest noises and the ocean.</p><p>After their second round of checking, in case they missed something, they regrouped back near the edge of the forest, disappointed but not surprised.</p><p>“Well, I guess he’s not coming,” Casey said.</p><p>“I guess not,” Angus replied. They turned to leave and he heard a sharp noise and tensed up. “You hear that?”</p><p>Carey examined the treeline with narrowed eyes. “Yeah, I think so.”</p><p>The sound of a small bell rang throughout the air. It was faint at first, but then it got louder, and louder, and then they saw a small shape flutter into view.</p><p>“What is it?” Angus muttered, more to himself than anybody else.</p><p>With a surprising speed, a dove with a golden bell strung around its neck flew above them and soared through the salty air. Around one of it’s legs dangled a small piece of parchment. It gained speed, flying far faster than a normal dove, as it flew towards the house.</p><p>Angus and Carey broke into a run, trying to catch up to the bird. It didn’t try to dodge or turn away from them as it sped to its target. The sand slowed their pace, and the dove flew into a window while they were still a good bit away.</p><p>When they thrusted themselves through the door, panting heavily, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to them, looking confused and surprised. Lup was holding the dove in her hands, examining what seemed to be a bloodied wing. Everyone else was muttering and whispering. </p><p>“Hey!” Casey gasped, “What did we miss? We were chasing the dove!”</p><p>“Not accusing anyone of lying, sirs and ma’ams, but didn’t you say that nobody knew where this house was? ” Angus added.</p><p>“They aren’t supposed to,” Davenport frowned. </p><p> Angus noticed crimson writing on the parchment on it’s ankle, reading; From: Merle. He was sure the others saw it too.</p><p>“The dove is in bad shape, fellas. It looks like it’s been attacked,” Lup said, holding it close to her chest. “Lucretia, could you guys get some water for it? I can heal it with a spell, but it’s going to need to get it’s strength back up.”</p><p>Lucretia nodded, then disappeared into the kitchen. </p><p>Everyone looked unnerved. This kind of stuff didn’t happen often. They were all thinking the same thing: If Merle had to send a letter, what happened to his Stone-of-Farspeech? Was it too dangerous to use, wherever he was? And what had attacked the dove? </p><p>Taako carefully untied the note from the bird. It looked hastily made, like the writer had written it in a hurry. “Okay, everyone shut the fuck up!” Taako said, unfolding the letter. The chatter died down and everyone leaned in close. “I’m about to read this weird ass letter, so there should be an explanation in here to why Merle can’t come, why he isn’t answering his Stone, and why he couldn’t bring the garlic! Ah-hem.”</p><p>“‘Can’t come to dinner. Been attacked. Being followed. Mavis is injured. Don’t let anyone leave. Don’t let anyone in. Keep lookout and be prepared. Be there soon. -Merle.’”</p><p>The room was dead silent. </p><p>“Well,” Taako rolled up the paper, a look of pure incredulous disbelief on his face, “Whoop-dee-fucking-doo. Did anyone think that was cryptic as hell, or was that just me?”</p><p>Everyone else, however, looked much more stone-faced. To have Merle sound so serious, even through a letter, put them into defense mode. Davenport resumed his position of being captain of their team and started giving orders. “Killain, Carey, could you run a quick check of the area? If whatever attacked Merle’s dove is still out there, I want to know.” Killian and Carey pulled out the weapons they had on them and rushed out the door. </p><p>“Barry, get that dove somewhere comfortable, we’re not going to let it leave under these conditions.” Barry gently took the dove from Lup and the water from Lucretia, who had just returned, and hurried upstairs. “Taako, Lup, throw any protection spells you’ve got up. We don’t know if Merle’s gonna bring a fight to us,” Davenport turned to Magnus. “Mags, take the first watch, if you can. We want to know when he arrives. You should probably bring the dogs inside, too.”</p><p>“Lucretia, could you prep a med area for Mavis? Take Angus with you, and I’ll help in a minute. Kravitz, I feel weird ordering around a Grim Reaper, so just see whoever needs help, if you want. We’re going to move the food back into the kitchen, so if you’re hungry, go there. After that, you’re all free to go to bed and rest. If nothing happens during the night, in the morning we’ll hold rolecall. And then we wait.”</p><p>Angus followed behind Lucretia as they started to put away the food and table items. Davenport joined them, and when they had to move the table to make space for a cot, Kravitz helped push it to the side. As they prepped for this unknown threat, Angus helped as much as he could, and although he was very determined and stoic, he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking the slighest bit.</p><p>//</p><p>An old woman sat behind a desk in a dark and unfamiliar tent. Everything around her smelled faintly of wood smoke and ashes, and it made her throat feel raw. It was night, she could tell, but the guards in front of the tent seemed just as stubborn as she was when it came to moving.</p><p>Leaning a head on her lap was a young woman, about seventeen. Much younger than she was. Her hair was done up in a bun, and she wore a cheery yellow sundress. Her hands were bound together with rope. The old woman had the urge to stroke her hair in a motherly way, and she almost did, but she was unable to. Not with her own hands bound too.</p><p>“Paloma?” The girl lifted her head, her voice still heavy from sleep, “Is something wrong?”</p><p>“No, no, Junebug,” Paloma whispered, eyes trained on the tent’s entrance. “Go back to sleep. I just forgot about our hands.”</p><p>June gave an understanding ‘hm’ and resumed her sleeping position, but she didn’t close her eyes. “How long do you think they’ll keep us here?”</p><p>“Talking about hypothetcials will get us nowhere,” Paloma scowled in an elderly fashion. “The future is determined by ever-changing action. It is not important that they will let us go in the future. What matters is that they’re keeping us here now. Don’t sympathize with them.”</p><p>She nodded.  </p><p>“And if you’re staying awake, pretend to be asleep. Or better yet, truly go to sleep. You haven’t slept in two days.”</p><p>“What for?”</p><p>“If they come in to talk to me, they’ll remove you if they thought you’d hear,” Paloma explained, her gaze still unmoving.</p><p>“M’kay.”</p><p>They fell into silence for a few long minutes.</p><p>“Paloma?”</p><p>“Yes, Junebug?”</p><p>“I think I know some of these people.”</p><p>“Good. It is wise to know your enemy.”</p><p>“No, not like that,” June frowned, searching for the words to use. “I’ve seen them before.”</p><p>“Where?”</p><p>“In their memories, Paloma,” She slurred, her eyes drooping. “And when I dream about their memories. They’re there. Even him.”</p><p>“Him,” Paloma repeated knowingly.</p><p>“He hurt him. Way back then. He destroyed everything. I saw it for myself.”</p><p>“Yes, you did,” She said softly. “But let’s not think about that difficult time right now. Difficult things are already happening around us. Go to sleep.”</p><p>June sighed, and she closed her eyes and fell asleep. </p><p>About an hour has passed when Paloma had heard voices outside of the tent. As expected. She hoped that they wouldn’t be that loud when they entered and started asking her who-knows-what. Important people were sleeping. She would like to keep it that way.</p><p>Firelight filled the tent as three figures entered. Two of them were guards. Tch. As if they expected two restrained and unarmed folk to attack them. The fellow in the middle was a shorter, rounder, and older man, about in his mid sixties. He wore a flashy uniform, his chest lined with many medals and metals. You would’ve thought that he had lived a wealthy and comfortable life, save for the huge scar that stretched from the right corner of his bottom lip downward.</p><p>“Greetings, Paloma. I’ve heard much about you,” He dipped his head.</p><p>“We are past the point of formalities,” Paloma scowled. When he looked confused, she said: “You have me and this young woman tied up in your tent.”</p><p>“Ah, I see,” He waved a hand, as if brushing away a bothersome fly. “Just a percaution. Surely you must understand.”</p><p>“I don’t.”</p><p>His polite demeanor seemed to vanish for a split second, but he quickly recovered. “I know this seems upsetting to you, but I promise, nothing bad will happen to you here.” Paloma knew, in unspoken terms, this meant she was too valuable. “I would like to request a prophecy.”</p><p>She chuckled darkly. “Big prophecy, I’m guessing. Not that I have much choice, eh? Fine. But I need dust.”</p><p>A guard disappeared outside of the tent for a few moments, then walked over and poured a handful of ash on the table in front of her. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure you want your prophecy? I can’t tell you what it might entail. Good, bad, or anything in between. I may only offer advice.”</p><p>“That is fine,” The visitor said impatiently. “Just get on with it.”</p><p>Paloma leaned forward. “Normally I use my glass crystals to create dust, but this seems fitting for you.” She blew outwards suddenly, cloaking the entire room with ash. The scene swirled around them both for a few seconds, before she found the visitor and herself in front of a modest cabin in a field. Trees surrounded all sides, and the sky was a clear blue. There was a dog sleeping on the porch, it’s grey paws tucked under it’s chin.</p><p>He looked around, clearly confused, before he finally turned to her. “What is this place?” He croaked.</p><p>When Paloma spoke, her voice was loud and clear. “Here is where you seek your revenge. Here is where he is, unknowing and unaware.” Then everything seemed to rush forward at once. Blurry figures rushed around the lawn, moving at sonic speeds. A big white and blue blur appeared, and a few shadows were trying to attack it. Suddenly, the face of a not-yet middle aged man was in front of him, so close that he could easily pick out the mixed shock and fierceness on his features.</p><p>“CUT!” She boomed, her voice echoing across the entire field. The visitor slashed the young man with his sword.</p><p>And then they were back in the tent again.</p><p>Paloma was gasping for breath, her eyes wide and fearful. Her breathing was pained, but even worse, her heart was pained. She felt it ache with every pulse, and it took all her willpower not to sob. </p><p>June was awake now and by her side. “Paloma, what- what did you see?” The guards didn’t seem to care she was awake.</p><p>“Blood, an- and-” She stammered. She couldn’t control her prophecies. All she did was pull them out of people and explained what was set in stone by Istus herself. But this? Paloma felt sick to her stomach, and her whole body shook. “No, no! You can’t! You motherfucker!”</p><p>She lunged forward, but the guards rushed in and held her back. They made no attempt to harm her, which was worse, In Paloma’s opinion. She wanted to fight. To burn off her anger and curse everyone in this camp. For an old woman with her hands tied, she was resisting pretty well. “You monster!” She spat, and a few more guards entered the tent to help. Some of them grabbed June, who had also started to cause a ruckus. </p><p>But even she couldn’t change the fate of the future, and the visitor seemed to revel in this. He smiled wickedly, and showed yellow teeth and a dry tongue. He looked shaken, but pleased. No, moreso than that. Greedy. Impatient. Delighted. Victorious. </p><p>Hungry.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>PLOT! PLOT! PLOT!</p><p>Paloma and June seem to be doing just fine :)</p><p>Finally we get to the major plot line! I have a good idea on where I want this fic to go, so I hope I can keep y'all on the edge of your seats. I'm not going to reveal too much; but things are gonna get real interesting from now on. ;]</p><p>Feel free to comment and ask questions and theories! Have a good day!</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Dreaming of Dragons [7]</h2></a>
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    <p>Angus was dreaming.</p><p>It wasn’t the nightmare he’s been continually having for days in a row, which was weird, cause he’d gotten used to the one where he’s somewhere lined with books and gold and the looming threat of thieves and death. </p><p>In this dream he was a wyrmling again. He was about bear-sized, or a medium sized dragon, which was normal for a wyrmling. Young dragons grew incredibly quickly compared to other creatures. He was resting on a mountainside at dusk, and the sky was a beautiful swirl of pinks and oranges. The snowy peaks stretched endlessly below, but patches of grass poked out here and there, a tell-tale sign it was spring. Beside him was a big silvery mass which reflected some colors across its hide.</p><p>“Grandpa?” Angus squeaked, breaking the quiet atmosphere around them. His words felt heavy in his throat. </p><p>“Hrm?” The older dragon grunted. He shifted his body around to face Angus and let out a comfortable sigh. He opened an eye, which was a striking icy blue. He seemed calm and mellow, which made Angus’s heart ache even more. “Whatcha need?”</p><p>“I just wanted to say that...I miss you.”</p><p>He nodded solemnly. “I know. I know. I miss you too. More than anything.”</p><p>Angus pushed his head up against his Grandpa’s large shoulder, closing his eyes. “Things have been so hard. My job is so stressful, andI’m trying my best to fit in with my friends, but I keep slipping up. I’m sure Kravitz knows something’s wrong, and the rest are bound to find out. I just,” He sniffed, his nostrils flaring as his breathing became coarse, “I just want to be like them. But I’m not.”</p><p>“Angus, look at me,” His Grandpa nudged him with his snout so he was looking into his eyes. “Nothing is ‘wrong’ with you.”</p><p>“Yes, there is!” He protested, “I’m a dragon! They’re people! Humanoids! If they ever found out, they wouldn’t like me anymore! They’d probably kill me or use me for my hoard!”</p><p>His Grandpa wrapped his tail reassuringly around him. “Your ‘human’ part of you is just as big a part of you as your dragon part. You ARE you, no matter what you look like. You don’t change when you’re a humanoid, right? And they care about you?”</p><p>He thought about Taako, who made sure to keep him up to date on his magic, and Magnus, who was always kind to him and always watched out for him. Carey had been worried about his parents when he said he didn’t live with them. Lucretia sometimes checked up on him, and Davenport, Barry, and Lup gave him space because they knew he was independent, but they still offered praise and help. Kravitz was always polite, and Merle...well, Merle was Merle.</p><p>“Yeah,” Angus rubbed a talon over his snout. “They do.”</p><p>“Then it doesn’t matter if you’re a dragon or not,” His Grandpa turned to face the sunset. “They’ll love you no matter if you’re a human boy or a young dragon. And if they don’t, then who needs them?”</p><p>‘I do,’ He thought desperately, ‘I need them. It’s too big of a risk to lose them. If they left, then I’d have no one. You’re gone forever. I have nobody.’</p><p>But he didn’t see the point of voicing these thoughts, so he shuffled his talons nervously. “I’ve been having nightmares, Grandpa. It’s the same one every night, and it feels important. I can’t make out the details, but I know it’s something to do with treasure. Gold and books. Sometimes your silverware set is even there, all of it! And there’s always a feeling that something is going to take it all...do you know what it could mean?”</p><p>“Hrm. Have you checked your hoard in a while?” His Grandpa suggested.</p><p>“No, but it doesn’t have your silverware set,” Angus pointed out. “That was on the train when it crashed, and I only have a few pieces of it. Plus, I’ve been keeping it in our- my lair,” He gulped. It was easier to move his gold and stuff there, since what he inherited from his Grandpa was bigger and harder to move. “Anyways, it’s right in the middle of the Teeth. You’d have to fly to get in.”</p><p>His Grandpa nodded, and opened his maw to yawn. It revealed rows of yellow teeth as long as a person’s forearm. “Well, sometimes a dream is just a dream. It sounds to me that they’ve been demanding a lot out of you. You’re still just a little kid.” He laid his head down on the rocky mountain surface and closed his eyes as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. </p><p>“But they rely on me,” Angus argued, trying to fight the drowsiness that encased his body. </p><p>“Reliance means nothing when there are no boundaries to support it,” His Grandpa’s voice rumbled as Angus wrapped himself in his own tail, nuzzling himself into the comfortable scales. </p><p>He yawned, and tried to keep his drooping eyes open. He wanted to savor this moment much longer, even if this was just a dream, and his Grandpa wasn’t really there.</p>
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